April System Mingle

[thespaceopera]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Possibly!
Action: April System
When: Month of April!


[Welcome to the Belt, a huge asteroid belt that's been terraformed for life. Here you can explore the different asteroids, become a rock star, race on some ATVs, enjoy not being underwater.

In other words, it's a mingle! Get in everyone!

> System Info ]

Comments

[notanoptimist]

Yeah, I remember. [That damn confetti is impossible to clean up.]

Leonard McCoy. I run the medlab here and work the surgery center on the Iskaulit. Also captain of this ship.

[directed]

[Perhaps the one bright spot in this, then, is that Rip is apparently not ship's janitor. Is that a thing?]

Well met, Captain McCoy. [Even if, thanks to an earlier conversation, Rip's first thought is to wonder if that's by merit or default--thanks Peggy. He presses his lips into a tight line, giving another look over the kitchen.]

And apologies. The longer I'm here, the more convinced I am that I've been assigned to be the bloody cook, of all things.

[notanoptimist]

I'll respond to 'doctor' better than 'captain.' [He shrugs one shoulder.] Been a doctor far longer than a captain.

Are you already apologizing for the food?

[directed]

Doctor McCoy, then.

[Simple enough.

He huffs out a soft breath, and yes, that might have been something of a laugh.]

I'm afraid so. I've been warned it's of questionable quality anyway, and I don't exactly have much cooking expertise, no matter what the augment is feeding into my brain.

[His ship had replicators. Cooking hadn't strictly been necessary.]

[notanoptimist]

Eh, maybe you'll find the augment actually knows what it's doing. [Judging by his tone of voice.... no. No you really won't. Good luck.]

[directed]

I suspect I'd have an easier time fashioning together a food fabricator.

[And since Rip is used to people not knowing what that means:]

A device that manipulates edible proteins into other forms of food. It's all synthetic, but it tastes real enough--and it's got more texture than this gel nonsense.

[notanoptimist]

I've heard of something like it. The technology's still in its infancy where I'm from, but I've heard that it's pretty commonplace in the near future. [He knows what a replicator is, thanks.]

Maybe you should. The gel is awful.

[directed]

Hn, yeah. By 2166 in the universe I'm from, at any rate.

[Look Captain, Rip isn't going to assume. He's gotten used to having to explain quite a few things to people from the past.]

Oh, I've got no doubt it is. What I fail to understand is how it's supposed to be improved by "cooking." [He shakes his head.] Although I did see things resembling actual food when I poked around the cabinets a bit, which is mildly reassuring.

[notanoptimist]

Yeah, those of us who aren't a fan of that damn gel, cooked or not, try to keep us stocked with actual food. It gets a little lean sometimes, if we're drifting awhile.

[He shrugs.] Then occasionally we end up picking up a bunch of stuff none of us can stand the taste of.

[directed]

--I can't imagine anyone actually liking the stuff. [Which is good, he reasons. The more people adding to the pile, the less likely they are to have to resort to the painfully artificial stuff.]

It's only to be expected, I suppose. We are in outer space. [And subjected to the whims of whatever those in charge might think is entertaining. Rip frowns as he considers it (again).

What else can he do?]

I suppose I should ask what you're expecting in terms of me fulfilling my--duties, as they are. [It's hard not to wince as he says that. Really, Rip will get over his assignment one day.

Maybe.]

[notanoptimist]

If anyone liked that damn stuff, I'd start wondering about 'em. [And likely insult them more than a few times, come to think of it.

He waves a hand then, almost dismissing the not-quite question.] I don't. You wanna cook for us -- or attempt to, I guess -- go for it. You don't, then don't. All I ask is that you pitch in when we need you. I don't run a tight ship.

[directed]

Undoubtedly--although in all the timelines in all the universes in existence, it is entirely possible that there's one being who might.

[And what an odd creature they would prove to be.]

Easy enough to abide by, I suppose. [So, don't be a jerk when it comes to being part of the crew. Hopefully his tenure with his former team would allow Rip to manage as much.]

[notanoptimist]

[Yeah, 'don't be a jerk' is pretty much the only rule McCoy has and he doesn't even always abide by it.]

Besides not cooking, what do you do?

[directed]

[This should go smashingly then, considering Rip so often fails at it.

The question of what else he does, however, isn't necessarily a simple one. He's revealed certain details already, and over a broadcast transmission at that. But for however meaningless the title is supposedly, or how reportedly lax Leonard has claimed to be--

There's still that sense of obligation to the title if nothing else.]

I was a captain, actually. Of a ship capable of traveling through space. [For now, he starts with those facts Leonard could find out just by looking at Rip's first transmission.] Although it was--quite different from this one.

[So much better, he means to say, but he's at least trying to be somewhat polite.]